The talented mr Ripley
by lisabruijnincx
Summary: A different ending to the story of Tom Reepley. He killed his friend, Richard Greenleaf and took his identity. Later, when he becomes Thomas Reepley again, he thinks he will get away with everything. But he might not.


' _You_ are Thomas Reepley?' the captain of police asked, with no more interest than if Tom had been a dog that had been lost and was now found. 'May I see your passport?' Tom handed it to him. 'I don't know what the trouble is, but when I saw in the papers that I am believing missing –'. The policeman stared blankly at him. 'What happens now?' The man called to Rome and told him that a representative of the Rome police would be in Venice that evening after eight o'clock to speak to him. 'Thank you.'

Tom spent the rest of his day in his hotel room. He was nervous. He looked like Tom Reepley again, no trace of the man he pretended to be for a few months. Richard Greenleaf was gone. He was worried that the police would recognize him. Maybe they already knew that he killed Richard Greenleaf that day in San Remo. At eight-thirty that evening his phone rang and the switchboard operator announced that Tenente Roverini was downstairs. Toms heart dropped, it was the police officer he had talked to in Rome. Would he recognize him? 'Would you have him come up, please?' Tom said with an unsteady voice. His hands were sweaty. He washed them so the man wouldn't feel it when he shook his hand.

A few minutes later there was a knock on the door. Tom took a deep breath and opened the door. 'Buona sera,' Tom said with the iconic shy smile of Tom Reepley on his face. 'Buona sera, signor Reepley.' Roverini smiled. His face showed no suspicion and Tom relaxed a little bit. Behind Roverini was another police officer, Tom didn't know him. He let them in, closed the door and enjoyed the cold metal of the door handle against his glowing hands for a second. They took place in the sitting room. 'Can I see your passport, Tom?' Roverini asked. 'Of course.' Tom handed him his passport and did his best to have the same tense expression on his face as he had on the photo. The officer studied him intensely, smiled and gave him his passport back. 'We have made quite some effort to find you, signor Reepley. Where have you been?' Like always, Tom was prepared to answer any question. 'I have been traveling around the country with a car I bought. I haven't really followed the news, so I had no idea I was missing.' 'We checked the hotels in every big city in the country and couldn't find your name anywhere.' Tom gave Roverini a shy smile and said: 'I have been sleeping in my car mostly. You know, Italy is quite expensive.' Tom wore his oldest clothes, so it was easy to see that he didn't have loads of money to spend.

He started to relax a little more. The conversation went well. He could easily answer all the questions Roverini asked. He offered the police officers something to drink, but they declined. 'So you haven't heard from signor Greenleaf since he left for Sicily? We think he might have murdered his friend Freddie Miles, but he disappeared when we wanted to talk to him after his trip.' Tom acted like he was thinking about it. 'Freddie and Richard were not very close and Freddie had Richard nothing to offer. I don't think there would be a reason to kill him,' he said. Roverini frowned, Tom raised his eyebrows. 'Maybe Richard was afraid Freddie Miles would see that he wasn't who he said he were?' Toms heart turned into ice. 'I don't understand.' He did his best to look calm but he felt the cold sweat running on his back. 'Thomas Reepley, do you really think we are this stupid?' Tom kept his mouth shut, but exploded on the inside. 'I have to admit that I'm quite impressed by your actions. It takes a genius mind to think all the details out like that. But you underestimated the girl from Mongibello.' Tom sighted and whispered: 'Marge.' Roverini smiled. 'An intelligent young lady. When you told her that Richard Greenleaf was at the police station, she immediately called. Of course, he wasn't there. She then watched you leave in a hurry for Sicily, when you were supposed to meet her for a drink. We figured the rest out.'

Tom felt defeated and actually he really was. Roverini had cuffed him and took him outside. The entire village watched him as he was pushed in the police car. Thomas Reepley got charged with first degree murder and identity theft. He spent the rest of his life in the Italian prison.


End file.
